The Occupational Safety and Health Administration — federal agency that sets and enforces workplace safety standards.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is the US federal agency under the Department of Labor that sets and enforces workplace safety and health standards. Created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA covers most private-sector employers and their workers. Public-sector workers are covered by state OSHA plans where they exist (28 states have approved state plans).
The General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)) requires every employer to provide a workplace 'free from recognized hazards' that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm — even where no specific OSHA standard exists. Specific standards address topics like personal protective equipment, fall protection, hazard communication, electrical safety, ergonomics, and bloodborne pathogens.
Employers must record work-related injuries and illnesses on OSHA Form 300 (the log), Form 301 (the incident report), and post the annual summary (Form 300A) from February 1 to April 30 each year. Workplaces with 250+ employees, or 20+ in high-hazard industries, must electronically submit injury and illness data via the Injury Tracking Application. Inspections can be triggered by complaints, fatalities, programmed inspections, or follow-ups; penalties for serious violations reach $16,131 per violation in 2025, and willful or repeated violations up to $161,323.
We post the OSHA 300A summary in the break room each February and offer ergonomic assessments for our remote and in-office staff.
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